Five fantasy rugby tips

What you need to remember when tackling fantasy rugby.

1. Pick with your head, not your heart. It’s always tempting to make fantasy selections based on the teams and players you support, but the best points haul in any given round will be spread over many different teams. Since a lot of them will be traditional rivals to your own team, it’s best to get used to this quickly!

2. Check the statistics. We have several resources to help you find the consistent performers. Check out the complete set of stats from 2013. You’ll find 2012 stats there as well. We also have a very useful '% Selected' stat that shows how many managers have currently chosen a player. Look out for it when you are selecting your squad.

3. Choose your captain and kicker wisely. Your captain and kicker are the two most important players in your virtual team. Your captain scores double points so you need to select the player who you think will score the most points in the round. In case your captain doesn’t take to the field, you have a vice-captain who will then score the crucial double points. Your kicker is the one player in your team who you designate to score points for place kicks i.e., penalties and conversions. It’s really important to spot the kickers who consistently take place kicks as some Super Rugby teams have more than one kicker sharing kicking duties.

4. Identify the bargains. Look out for the bargain players likely to score solid points for their price. You need to balance your team with different player values and identifying early on the best bang-for-buck players will give you a head-start.

5. Review the fixtures. The fixture schedule plays a massive role in planning ahead. Super Rugby starts once again with a short two-match round, and after that it’s scheduled as normal. Negotiate your way through the first round with the best combination from the four teams that are playing. Check out all the fixtures.

The Super Rugby Fantasy League, in association with SARugbymag.co.za, is back. It’s FREE to play and you can WIN big!

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